Ilona Maher truly deserves an Olympic gold medal for her comeback. The Team USA rugby player had a fierce response to a critic who commented that she looked pregnant in a form-fitting orange dress. "A guy recently commented on a picture of me and said, 'You look pregnant in that dress,'" Ilona shared in a TikTok video posted on January 11. "He deleted his comment because I had a great comeback, but I want to do it again for you all." And the 29-year-old made sure to really drive her point home by donning the same bright-colored ensemble for the clip.
"To him, I say this is just a normal woman's body," Ilona explained while showing off the profile of her toned figure to the camera. "You probably haven't seen a woman naked in a long time, if ever, and I hope you never get the privilege to again, because that's just how we are, OK? That's just what we're working with."
Emphasizing that the appearance of her stomach was normal even as a "professional athlete," she added, "I always have this, OK?"
Following her epic jab, fans came out in support of Ilona, with many women reiterating that not having a completely flat stomach is very common. "Where do they think we keep our vital organs, in our purse?" one user quipped, while another added, "Women have more organs than men. We need the space. We have presence and fill space."
But this isn't the first time Ilona has clapped back at criticism about her body. The Dancing With the Stars alum reacted to comments saying she would be considered "overweight" on the mass body index (BMI) scale back in 2024, shortly before competing in the Paris Olympics.
"I think you were trying to roast me, but this is actually fact: I do have a BMI of 30—well, 29.3 to be more exact," Ilona responded to one troll on TikTok at the time. "I've been considered overweight my whole life."
However, she explained that the measurement "just tells you your height and weight and what that equals," instead of determining someone's overall health or athleticism. "I chatted up with my dietitian because I go off of facts," Ilona continued. "We talked about BMI and how it really isn't helpful for athletes. BMI doesn't tell you much."
She added, "That's pretty crazy, right? I am considered overweight. But alas, I'm going to the Olympics and you're not."
